When NSA contractor Edward Snowden downloaded tens of thousands of top-secret documents from a highly secure government network, it led to the largest leak of classified information in history - and sparked a fierce debate over privacy, technology and democracy in the post-9/11 world. FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to reveal the dramatic inside story of how the U.S. government came to monitor and collect the communications of millions of people around the world - including ordinary Americans - and the lengths they went to trying to hide the massive surveillance program from the public.

Arlington, Va. - PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing Frontline: United States of Secrets on DVD July 29, 2014. When NSA contractor Edward Snowden downloaded tens of thousands of top-secret documents from a highly secure government network, it led to the largest leak of classified information in history - and sparked a fierce debate over privacy, technology and democracy in the post-9/11 world.

Frontline: United States of Secrets, FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to reveal the dramatic inside story of how the U.S. government came to monitor and collect the communications of millions of people around the world - including ordinary Americans - and the lengths they went to trying to hide the massive surveillance program from the public.

"This is as close to the complete picture as anyone has yet put together - and it's bigger and more pervasive than we thought," says veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk ("League of Denial," "Bush's War").

United States of Secrets has a run time of approximately 180 minutes. The DVD SRP is $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download.

In Part One, a two-hour film, Kirk goes inside Washington and the National Security Agency, piecing together the secret history of the unprecedented surveillance program that began in the wake of September 11 and continues today - even after the revelations of its existence by Edward Snowden.

Then, in Part Two, veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Martin Smith ("The Untouchables," "To Catch a Trader") continues the story, exploring the secret relationship between Silicon Valley and the National Security Agency, and investigating how the government and tech companies have worked together to gather and warehouse your data.

"Through in-depth interviews with more than 60 whistleblowers, elected officials, journalists, intelligence insiders and cabinet officials, we have woven together the secret narrative that reveals the scale and scope of the government's spying program," says Kirk. "We've gone deep inside the story, from what really happened at the NSA and the White House in the days after 9/11, through the Bush and Obama administrations, directly into the stunning revelations from Edward Snowden."

With extraordinary access to key participants, the series exposes what came to be known as the "The Program:" a massive domestic surveillance dragnet designed to disrupt terrorist attacks before they occurred by collecting the communications of American citizens. From the start, "The Program" sparked outrage inside the NSA and Justice Department, and has since been attacked as unconstitutional and illegal.

Insiders like congressional intelligence committee staffer Diane Roark took their concerns directly to leaders in Washington and NSA Director Michael Hayden: "I said it was unethical, immoral, politically stupid, illegal and unconstitutional, and should stop - and when this comes out, all hell is going to break loose," Roark tells FRONTLINE.

As FRONTLINE reports, for Roark and others who objected and spoke out, the consequences were devastating both personally and professionally. Many found themselves under criminal investigation: their security clearances revoked, their homes raided by armed federal agents, and their lives destroyed.
In Part Two of the series, producer Martin Smith investigates the ways Silicon Valley has played a role in the NSA's dragnet, and blurred the boundaries of privacy for us all.

"As big technology companies encouraged users to share more and more information about their lives, they created a trove of data that could be useful not simply to advertisers - but also to the government," Smith says. "Privacy advocates have been worried about this since the early days of the Internet, and the Snowden revelations about the scope of government spying brought their fears into high relief."

How did big tech companies react when the government asked them to turn over data on millions of ordinary American citizens? And what do companies such as Google, Facebook and Yahoo! really know about you?

"If the FBI came to your door and demanded photos of your wedding, the names and daily habits of your children, the restaurants you frequent, who you've called and texted for the past month, and where you'll be staying on your upcoming vacation, you'd call your lawyer," Smith says. "But that's exactly the sort of information we're all sharing by living our lives digitally - and the government has taken notice in a big way."

Part political thriller and part spy novel, "UNITED STATES OF SECRETS" is the definitive history of domestic surveillance in a post-9/11 world, from the investigative team behind FRONTLINE's award-winning "Money, Power & Wall Street." With new revelations about government spying coming out almost daily, the series will be gripping viewing for those who want to understand the context of the Snowden affair - and what it means for all Americans.

CreditsUnited States of Secrets is a FRONTLINE production with the Kirk Documentary Group and Rain Media. Part One is produced by Michael Kirk, Jim Gilmore and Mike Wiser. The director is Michael Kirk. The writers are Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser. The reporter is Jim Gilmore. Part Two is written and produced by Martin Smith. The co-producers are Linda Hirsch and Ben Gold. The editorial consultant on Parts One and Two is Barton Gellman. The deputy executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is David Fanning.

About FRONTLINE
FRONTLINE, U.S. television's longest running investigative documentary series, explores the issues of our times through powerful storytelling. The series has won every major journalism and broadcasting award, including 65 Emmy Awards and 15 Peabody Awards.

FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation.

About PBS Distribution
PBS Distribution is the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally, extending the reach of these programs beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system and our production partners.

PBS Distribution offers a diverse range of programming to our customers, including Ken Burns's films, documentaries from award-winning series such as NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, dramas from MASTERPIECE, as well as films from independent producers and popular children's programming. As a multi-channel distributor, PBS Distribution pursues wholesale/retail sales, consumer and educational sales through PBS-branded catalogs and online shops, and international broadcast and video sales. PBS Distribution is also a leader in offering programming through digital platforms including internet and mobile devices.